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One of the major challenges that populations have to face is vulnerability to water: lack of water, flooding, pollution, hazard sensitivity and coping capacity. Owing to economic, social and environmental inequalities, this paper focuses on water-related vulnerabilities in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago (RMS) in Chile. Our main objective is to understand, through mapping, the multiscalar logics of water vulnerability. This study is carried out at two scales: at the regional level (RMS), we proceed with open access municipal statistical data and maps, while at the local level, a more detailed analysis focusing on the Chacabuco Province is based on the same type of data but with either a higher spatial resolution (census districts) or a spatially more intensive data processing in order to take into account intra-municipal differences. In this way, we put into perspective the discourse developed in the Chilean media and by the inhabitants of Chacabuco Province regarding the province as an environmental ‘sacrifice zone’ for the RMS. The vulnerability maps are carried out at different scales in a simple and reproducible way by multi-criteria evaluation (MCE). The results confirm the hypothesis of a sacrifice zone and show that high-resolution data and adequate data processing give, on average, lower vulnerability scores than using only statistical data on the municipal level. The results provide a cartographic decision support for stakeholders. Limitations of the study are discussed and required further research is pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of top management support and organizational capabilities in achieving e-business entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire from 26 manufacturing firms with a sample of 282 respondents. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS. Findings: The results show a significant impact of top management support on e-business entrepreneurship. The findings also show a direct impact of organizational capabilities, involving organizational agility and organizational learning on the e-business entrepreneurship. Moreover, the results of the study highlight the pivotal role of top management in preparing an organizational environment that fosters organizational learning and organizational agility capabilities to establish e-business entrepreneurship. Originality/value: This study contributes to the body of knowledge and understanding of e-business entrepreneurship and the pivotal role of top management support in today's very dynamic environment. Furthermore, the present study offers new insights into the impact of organizational capabilities on establishing e-business entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even without the red nose and costume, clowning has much to offer when used as an approach to teaching creative drama to people with intellectual and physical disabilities. Clown humour and animated play encourage creativity, movement, and self-expression. With a clown-like approach, markers for success change and become more relevant to the level at which participants are working. Using a clown approach allows participants to expand their capacities by releasing the fear of not accomplishing their goals. In fact, slipping up and failing at tasks are good reasons for the group to laugh and relax. In my experience in setting up drama programs at the Manitoba Developmental Centre, I discovered the value of the clown's flop. By embracing failure, participants were more able to enjoy taking risks. Non-verbal communication skills and object transformation, common to clown play, also created new possibilities for the participants' creativity and expression. As a result, they were able to move, play, and communicate in unexpected ways and put on a performance for 300 people. The community of therapeutic clowns—including Karen Ridd, Joan Barrington, and organizations like the Dr. Clown Foundation—engages a similar approach to working with the public. They embrace failure and succeed at bringing joy through humour, clown antics, and play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To test acceptability and reliability of audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) system administered at the household level to gather data on risk behaviors among adolescents in Mexico. Methods. Answers to sensitive behavior-related questions obtained using ACASI systems were compared with answers to the same questions obtained through face-to-face interviews (FFIs). Focus groups were conducted to explore ACASI acceptability among adolescents and its feasibility in obtaining better self-reported data on sensitive behaviors. Results. ACASI was adolescents' preferred method for reporting risk behaviors, particularly sexual behavior, and did not pose greater challenges to respondents versus FFIs. Also, more risk behaviors were reported through ACASI versus FFIs. Conclusion. The use of ACASI systems in disadvantaged households to obtain data on adolescent risk behavior is not only feasible but may also improve data quality in the case of complex questionnaires, compared with FFIs, and should therefore be considered as an alternative survey method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To determine the prevalence of health risk behaviors and to analyze factors associated with exposure to such behaviors among adolescents in the state of Santa Catarina in the south of Brazil. Methods. Adolescents attending 240 high school classes at the state's public schools answered a questionnaire that collected demographics (sex, age, area of residence, and day versus night classes), social and economic data (working status and monthly family income), and information on health risk behaviors (insufficient levels of physical activity, low intake of fruits/vegetables, smoking, alcohol abuse, illicit drug use, involvement in physical fights, and irregular use of condoms). Results. The completed questionnaires of 5 028 adolescents (2 984 females and 2 044 males), 15-19 years of age (mean = 17.0; standard deviation = 1.12), were considered valid. The most prevalent health risk behaviors were insufficient levels of physical activity (36.5%), low intake of fruits/vegetables (46.5%), and irregular use of condoms (38.3%). Approximately 7 of 10 adolescents (64.7%) were exposed to two or more risk behaviors simultaneously. The following risk subgroups were identified: male adolescents, adolescents from 18-19 years of age, living in urban areas, studying at night, and having a higher family income. Conclusions. The percentage of adolescents exposed to health risk behaviors was high, especially when simultaneous exposure to different behaviors was considered. These results can contribute to developing health promotion campaigns for the school setting that are specifically aimed at the risk subgroups identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recent research indicates that sleep deprivation impairs decision making. However, it is unknown to what extent such deficits are exacerbated in a dose-response manner by increasing levels of sleepiness, and the extent to which such sleep-loss-induced deficits can be reversed by caffeine. Methods: At three time points, 26 healthy subjects completed alternate forms of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT): rested baseline, 51 h awake, and 75 h awake. Every 2 h each night, 12 volunteers also received 4 200-mg doses of caffeine, with the last dose occurring 3 h prior to the IGT. Results: At baseline, volunteers readily learned to avoid disadvantageous high-risk card decks while progressively choosing more frequently from advantageous low-risk card decks. When sleep deprived, however, these same subjects showed impaired performance, choosing more frequently from the disadvantageous high-risk card decks, particularly during the latter half of the game. Contrary to expectations, the severity of performance impairment did not increase significantly from 51 to 75 h of wakefulness, and caffeine had no significant effects on IGT performance during sleep deprivation. Discussion and Conclusions: As a provisional extension of our previous study, these preliminary findings further suggest that the ability to integrate emotion with cognition to guide decision making, a capacity believed to be mediated by the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, may be particularly vulnerable to sleep loss. Moreover, these capacities may not be significantly improved by moderate doses of caffeine, suggesting that they may function separately from simple arousal and alertness systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To describe the prevalence of cigarette smoking and to identify risky behaviors associated with smoking among adolescents attending high schools in a district of La Paz, Bolivia. Methods. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey was administered to a sample of 394 males and 182 females,from 13-18 years of age, at six, randomly-selected schools in District II of La Paz. Frequencies, chi-square tests, and logistic regression were employed to identify factors associated with cigarette use during the 30 days prior to the survey. Results. Approximately 40% of the sample (39.4% of males and 33.7% of females) had smoked cigarettes in the 30 days prior to interview. For both males and females, consumption of alcohol was the single greatest risk factor associated with cigarette use. The males and females who reported consuming at least one alcoholic beverage on three or more occasions in the previous 30 days were 22.3 and 58.5 times (95% CIs: 6.7, 74.1 and 6.8, 502.6, respectively) more likely to smoke tobacco than those who reported no alcohol consumption. Additional risk factors included having participated in a physical fight, having carried a weapon, having had sexual intercourse, and having used illicit drugs during the previous 30 days. Conclusions. Because teenagers who smoke are also likely to engage in a variety of other risky behaviors, parents, school administrators, and health educators may wish to use smoking to identify at-risk individuals. Among Bolivian teenagers, interventions should focus on preventing cigarette use and associated risk behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) is a popular task used to measure risk-taking behavior. To identify cognitive processes associated with choice behavior on the BART, a few computational models have been proposed. However, the extant models either fail to capture choice patterns on the BART or show poor parameter recovery performance. Here, we propose a novel computational model, the exponential-weight mean–variance (EWMV) model, which addresses the limitations of existing models. By using multiple model comparison methods, including post hoc model fits criterion and parameter recovery, we showed that the EWMV model outperforms the existing models. In addition, we applied the EWMV model to BART data from healthy controls and substance-using populations (patients with past opiate and stimulant dependence). The results suggest that (1) the EWMV model addresses the limitations of existing models and (2) heroin-dependent individuals show reduced risk preference than other groups, which may have significant clinical implications. • We propose a novel computational model for the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. • The model comparison results show that the new model outperforms the existing model. • Heroin group show altered risk preference compared to others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White matter insulates the brain and promotes smarter risk taking over time. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

"You should strive just as much to be an innovator within the first six months of your first job as day one in the C-suite." [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]